"What? Then why does
she keep blinking and making noises?" Zoe asked, getting
frustrated.

"We think it maybe
something neurological, so we are referring her to a neurologist."

"A neurologist?"
Zoe exclaimed in a hushed tone as to not worry Hannah in the next
room. "What do you think it is? It isn't something life
threatening or anything?"

"It's not life
threatening. It's probably just a simple childhood tic."

"A tic? Explain that
to me."

"Involuntary
twitching, blinking and sometimes, like with Hannah, vocal sounds.
It's actually more common than people think. Does Hannah have any
problems in school?"

"No, never, she's
always been great at school."

"Well, that's good,
usually when there is a childhood tic there is something else going
on, like attention deficit disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder.
Have you noticed any obsessive habits with her?"

"No, not that I can
think of." Zoe said.

"Alright, well,
let me get you that referral and I want you to set up an appointment
soon so we can get to the bottom of what is going on." Dr.
Ratcliff said.

"Okay, I'll do it
when we get home."

As Zoe and Hannah were
leaving the doctor's office, Zoe noticed Hannah blinking
excessively and thought about the possibility that her niece may have
something wrong with her. It broke her heart to think that, but what
could she do?

The doorbell rang and
Zoe knew it was going to be Dan, so she yelled from the couch for him
to come in. The door opened and closed and Dan appeared in the
living room.

"So, what's up with
Hannah?" he didn't waste any time getting to the point of his
visit.

"The doctor said
nothing is physically wrong with her. He referred me to a
neurologist."

"I always thought you
needed your head checked out." Dan joked.

"Dan, by me I mean
Hannah."

"Oh…well, what for?
Is it something serious?" Dan asked concerned, taking a seat next
to Zoe on the couch.

"He said it was a
childhood tic and that that's all it could be or it could be more."

"Like what?"

"Well, I did some
research on the Internet about tics and it's most commonly
associated with Tourette syndrome. So I guess, she is being tested
for Tourette's."

"I thought that was
that swearing thing."

"Swearing can be
considered a tic for Tourette's, but it's not that common.
Blinking is one of the more common tics." Zoe informed him.